Celebrate The World's Most Popular Fruit With Sparkling Mango Sangria

(NAPSI)-With warmer weather upon us, there isn't a better time to entertain guests with a refreshing sangria complete with a fresh twist of mango. This Sparkling Mango Strawberry Sangria is a fun, nonalcoholic twist on the traditional drink recipe and is full of fresh mangos, strawberries, orange and lemon juices, cinnamon and lemon-lime soda. You can also easily create an adult version.

Not only do mangos sparkle in a variety of dishes and beverages, they're an excellent source of vitamins A and C and a good source of fiber. Try this delicious new take on a classic and discover another reason mangos are the world's most popular fruit.

Sparkling Mango Strawberry Sangria (Nonalcoholic)

9 ounces fresh mango and strawberry puree (6 large strawberries with 1 ounce simple syrup plus 6 ounces strained mango puree)

6 ounces fresh orange juice

6 ounces fresh lemon juice

3 ounces simple syrup (mint infused) or to taste*

2 cinnamon sticks

1 liter lemon-lime soda

Fruit for garnish: mango, strawberries, orange, lemon and mint sprigs

Place above ingredients (excluding lemon-lime soda) into a large glass container, cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, pour into an ice-filled pitcher to 2/3 full. Add fresh sliced fruits and top with lemon-lime soda, stir gently to mix. Serve in ice-filled wineglasses with fresh fruit.

To make the adult version, add four ounces of orange liqueur and four ounces of lime-flavored vodka to the large glass container, cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready, replace the lemon-lime soda with one bottle of chilled Prosecco.

* Simple syrup: Mix a 1:1 ratio of water to sugar; bring water to a boil, add sugar to dissolve and cool.

For more recipes and instructions on how to select and cut a mango, visit www.mango.org.

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Your Recipe Creation Could Be Worth $1 Million

(NAPSI)-The 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest is now open for entries. One hundred finalists will compete for the $1 million grand prize. The entry deadline is April 20, 2009. For contest details, visit www.bakeoff.com. This recipe example from the 43rd contest fits the Entertaining Appetizers category. The simple step of spraying the pan with no-stick cooking spray helps create a crispy, nicely browned crust.

Mango, Prosciutto And

Goat Cheese Appetizer Pizza

1 tablespoon CRISCO® pure olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 firm ripe mango, seed removed, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces (1 cup)

1/3 cup SMUCKER'S® sweet orange marmalade

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 to 2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust

4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

1 cup crumbled goat (chèvre) cheese (4 oz)

Heat oven to 400°F. Heat 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add oil and onion; cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and starting to brown. Reserve ½ cup mango. Stir remaining mango into onion. Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in marmalade, mustard, vinegar and soy sauce. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and most of liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; cool while preparing crust.

Spray large cookie sheet with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Unroll pizza crust dough on cookie sheet; press dough into 15x10-inch rectangle. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges just begin to brown.

Spread mango-onion mixture over crust. Top with prosciutto; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and goat cheese.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with reserved ½ cup mango.

Makes 24 appetizers.

• Bake-Off is a registered trademark of General Mills

• Smucker's and Crisco are registered trademarks of The J.M. Smucker Company

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Cook Up Some Passion

(NAPSI)-America is in need of a passion overhaul. A romance survey reveals that 40 percent of Americans rate the passion in their personal relationship as PG-13 or less, by movie standards. But there is hope. All you need are the right ingredients for a romantic evening at home.

The survey, conducted by Ipsos, for Agavero, an aphrodisiac-infused tequila, found that 35 percent of Americans cited a romantic candlelit dinner as the best way to "get in the mood." You may care to take a hint from Diane Brown, author of "The Seduction Cookbook," and turn up the heat in your kitchen."Cooking together is a very sensuous experience," says Brown. "It enhances your senses and sparks chemistry and passion throughout the meal."

To start the evening off right, Brown suggests preparing a tantalizing meal made with ultra- smooth Agavero, the first and only tequila infused with damiana, a flower regarded for centuries as a potent aphrodisiac. Brown's recipe of Brown Butter Seared Scallops with Agavero Mango Chutney may well ignite passion:

Brown Butter Seared Scallops with Agavero Mango Chutney

For mango chutney:

2 unripe mangoes (about 3 pounds total)

½ cup cider vinegar

½ cup Agavero tequila

1 teaspoon salt

1 1-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled

1 fresh serrano chile

5 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 3-inch piece cinnamon stick

2 star anise

2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil

Juice of one lemon

For brown butter seared scallops:

12 large sea scallops

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

For chutney: Peel mangoes and cut into ½-inch cubes. In a small bowl, toss mangoes with vinegar, Agavero tequila and salt.

Make seasoning paste: Cut gingerroot into 4 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor, add gingerroot, chile and remaining seasoning paste ingredients, and puree to a paste. For milder chutney, wearing rubber gloves, remove seeds and veins from serrano chile.

Heat a 4-quart heavy sauce-pan over moderately low heat until hot. Cook seasoning paste, cinnamon stick and star anise in oil, stirring frequently, 10 minutes, or until very fragrant. Stir in mango mixture and simmer, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until mangoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick and star anise and cool chutney completely. Chutney keeps, covered and chilled, for about 1 month.

For scallops: Pat scallops dry with paper towels, then season the scallops with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the oil until just smoking. Add the scallops and cook over high heat for 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook until golden on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn the scallops and add the butter, allowing it to bubble and brown. Cook, spooning the butter on the scallops, until white throughout, about 3 minutes. Serve scallops with Agavero mango chutney.

To keep the passion flowing, finish the meal fireside with a passion-inspiring Agavero cocktail. The alluring tequila is best enjoyed neat, sipped slowly so you savor the smooth flavor or as part of delicious drink recipes, such as Passion Potion or The Aphrodisiac.

For drink recipes or suggestions on saucy food ideas, great for any romantic occasion, visit www.agavero.com.

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Avocados Add Pizzazz To Your Party

(NAPSI)-Planning a party? Add sparkling color and fresh flavor to the occasion with Avocado Mango Salsa. This elegant and versatile recipe is so easy to make with just a toss of a few tasty ingredients. The rich flavor and buttery texture of Mexican avocados are highlighted in this recipe with colorful chopped tomato and mango seasoned with the vivid flavors of jalapeño, onion, garlic, cilantro and lime juice.

No matter what kind of party you have in mind, Avocado Mango Salsa will fit right in. For a casual get-together, put the salsa in a bowl surrounded by tortilla chips and sliced veggies and let guests help themselves. On a party buffet, this salsa will star. Make a pretty buffet platter with Avocado Mango Salsa layered on grilled chicken, pork or salmon. Or start a formal dinner party with panache-simply spoon the salsa into stemmed glasses, add a sprig of cilantro and a few cooked shrimp, if you like.

Avocados from Mexico are grown in rich volcanic soil, with mountain rain and abundant sunshine. In this land, growers harvest high-quality fruit year-round so you can enjoy avocados from Mexico whenever you like. And you can feel good about entertaining your friends and family with avocados because they're loaded with fiber, vitamins and heart-healthy fats.

To get more information and easy recipes for special occasions and everyday meals, go to www.avocadosfrommexico.com.

AVOCADO MANGO SALSA

2 ripe avocados from Mexico, peeled, pitted and diced

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

1 cup diced tomato

¼ cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper

1 teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

In bowl, combine avocados, mango, tomato, cilantro, onion, jalapeño, garlic, salt, pepper, lime juice and olive oil; toss gently. Serve, if desired, with sliced veggies and chips, or with shrimp, grilled chicken or fish.

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Celebrate The Season With A Unique Mango Dessert

CC Note: Here's a great recipe to use for your upcoming dinner parties. You'll be getting rave reviews from your guests!

(NAPSI)-Let the taste of the sunny tropics update revered classics such as this simple Tiramisu. This is a great way to share a bright, tropical dessert with friends even as the weather turns cold. This creamy Mango Rum Tiramisu layers the richness of mascarpone cheese, vanilla yogurt, whipping cream and lady-fingers with the extra flavor dimension of fresh mango.

Available year-round, mangos can be the star of any occasion. Not only do mangos sparkle in a variety of dishes and beverages, but they are an excellent source of vitamins A and C and a good source of fiber. Try this delicious new take on a classic and discover another reason why mangos are the world's most popular fruit.

For more recipes and instructions on how to select and cut a mango, visit www.mango.org.

Mango Rum Tiramisu

8 Servings

Prep time: 25 minutes

Chill time: 6 to 24 hours

1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese

1 (6-ounce) container vanilla yogurt

6 tablespoons sugar

½ cup heavy whipping cream

⅓ cup mango nectar*

¼ cup rum

18 split (36 pieces) small, soft ladyfingers

2 small, ripe mangos, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced, divided

¼ cup shaved white chocolate

Mint leaves

In a medium bowl, beat mascarpone, yogurt and sugar until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold whipped cream into cheese mixture; set aside. Combine nectar and rum in a shallow dish. Quickly dip each side of the ladyfingers into the mango mixture. Place half of the ladyfingers in the bottom of an 8-inch glass baking dish so they fit tightly. Spread half of the cream mixture, then top with ¾ of the mango slices. Repeat ladyfinger and cream layers, then sprinkle with chocolate. Cover tightly and chill for 6 to 24 hours. Cut into 8 pieces; garnish with remaining mango slices and mint leaves. May be served refrigerated or frozen.

* Can be found in the fruit juice aisle at your local supermarket.

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Fresh Blueberries for Luscious Salads

CC Note: We bit into this salad recipe and will be doing it again and again. We give it 4 chocolate covered strawberries in our rating system of new dishes.

(ARA) - Blueberries are most abundant and least expensive in the summer, making it an ideal time to get your fill of these little blue gems. Stock the fridge and freezer with blueberries to make meals, snacks and desserts that are easy on the cook. Blueberries never need to be peeled, pitted, stemmed or chopped –just a quick rinse and they’re ready to eat or add to recipes.

Try these ideas for making quick, delicious salads that are enjoyable any time:

* Toss blueberries, chopped pineapple, jalapeno pepper and cilantro with lime juice and serve beside grilled chicken breasts.

* Stir blueberries into your favorite tuna salad and scoop onto baby spinach.

* Whirl vinaigrette salad dressing and blueberries in the blender until smooth and toss with green salads.

Blueberries are not only convenient, they also provide nutrients our bodies need every day. You can find more blueberry recipes and information at www.blueberrycouncil.org.

“Blueberry-Mango Colada Salad” is cool and fresh, boasting bright colors and sweet fruit flavors. With just three ingredients, this delicious salad is a snap to make. Spoon it into stemmed glasses and enjoy as a light fruit dessert. Another option is to serve with meat sizzling from the grill or with simple chicken sandwiches.

Blueberry-Mango Colada Salad

2 cups fresh blueberries
2 mangos, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1-3/4 cups)
1/4 cup frozen pina colada mix, thawed

In a large bowl, toss blueberries, mangos and pina colada mix. Into four martini glasses or dessert dishes, spoon fruit mixture, dividing evenly. Garnish with blueberries, mango slices and thin lime slices threaded onto long toothpicks, if desired.

YIELD: 4 portions

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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